Randall DeSevers; A DDS:PB4 Dynasty Report

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Atlanta Eagles owner Stewart Malkin has announced the hiring of Randall DeSevers as the team's new General Manager. DeSevers spent time as a D-II head coach with the University of Southern Indiana for several years before joining the Eagles' organization four years ago as lead assistant coach / chief scouting guru. During those four years the Eagles made the playoffs all four times, but failed to get past the Conference Semis in all but his first season (2010-11). The Eagles are looking at a breakout season, however, and will be looking to DeSevers to make big moves to ensure the team becomes a power in the Eastern Conference.

Head Coach Mike Budenholzer, now in his second year with the Eagles, has his work cut out for him, with pressure high to win big after last year's 38-44 campaign which ended in a playoff defeat at the hands of Indiana's Racers. “We've put together the groundwork for a top contender,” he tells the WS Sports Network. “Now we have to win those games, which is what they pay me for. I intend to do just that.”

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Our start was messy offensively, but we held our ground on defense and built a 9-5 lead on the Mystics with 6:38 to play in the first quarter, led by Carroll and Korver, who had combined for all our early points. Orlando tied it 14-14 with 3:22 remaining in the first quarter, and it became a shootout from there. Orlando held a 26-25 lead at the end of the quarter, but the second quarter amped up the defense on both sides and we held our ground. Tied 36-36 with 4:35 to play in the half, Paul Milsap gave us a 39-37 lead on a textbook jumper. But we couldn't keep a lead, going into halftime trailing Orlando 45-47, led by Jeff Teague's eight points four boards and four steals.

We struggled mightily to start the second half, letting Orlando out to an 11-2 run in the first three minutes of the third quarter. We kept things within three posessions the remainder of the quarter, but never really found offensive rhythm, trailing 63-70 with 11:52 remaining in the game. Mack got us within five but then Orlando answered with another 8-0 run over an eighty-second span, us down 65-78 with 9:40 to play. The remainder was a piss-poor example of how far we've got to go if we're going to ever be competitive in the league on the road. We lost this one 87-95, and frantic comeback attempts aside the game was never close after halftime.

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My goal with this, btw, is to go "low and slow" to really get the ins and outs of the game. I am NOT an NBA junkie, so this is all new to me. If anyone wants to chime in and tell me things about bird rights and salary shenanigans, feel free. Also: so far no bites on trades, the trading engine seems really tough if we go up against the AI for a player they like. I will try putting players "on the block" and see what kind of offers I get. Would really love to beef up my guards here in Hotlanta ... lol

Also, could not take the Pacers as that would be too painful with how badly they've played this year. I just don't think I could handle trying to clean up that mess

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Trade Update: We wanted to shore up strength at the guard position, and have worked out a trade with Brooklyn, sending the Hoops PF Mike Scott and PG Dennis Schroeder in exchange for SG Jarrett Jack and their 2015 second round pick.

I also wanted to add a bit of leadership to the team, and we've decided to offer SG Ray Allen a one year contract worth $1.4 million.

Our revised roster heading into today's game against Philadelphia:

Roster

PG - Jeff Teague (6'2” 180 lbs) 3.0/3.0

SG - Kyle Korver (6'7” 212 lbs) 2.5/2.5

SF - DeMarre Carroll (6'8” 225 lbs) 2.5/2.5

PF - Paul Milsap (6'8” 250 lbs) 4.0/4.0

C - Al Horford (6'10” 245 lbs) 4.5/4.5

6 - Jarrett Jack (6'3” 197 lbs) 2.0/2.0

7 - Ray Allen (6'5” 205 lbs) 2.0/2.0

8 - Thabo Sefolosha (6'7” 215 lbs) 2.0/2.0

9 - Elton Brand (6'9” 254 lbs) 1.5/1.5

10 - Shelvin Mack (6'2” 205 lbs) 1.5/1.5

11 - Kent Bazemore (6'5” 195 lbs) 1.5/2.0

12 - Mike Muscala (6'11” 230 lbs) 1.5/1.5

13 - Pero Antic (6'11” 260 lbs) 1.0/1.0

14 - Adreian Payne (6'10” 245 lbs) 1.0/1.5

15 - John Jenkins (6'4” 212 lbs) 1.0/1.0

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We built a 14-6 lead on the Freedom with 5:13 to go in the first quarter, boosted by a strong performance from DeMarre Carroll who scored eight of our early points. We led 30-14 after one, a really dominating performance early, and by halftime we still held a commanding 53-39 lead on Philadelphia, having essentially held our ground. Jarrett Jack and Ray Allen had combined for 15 points six boards and a steal coming off the bench, while DeMarre Carroll and Paul Mllsap each had 10 points (though Milsap's seven boards and four steals were the most impressive.)

We were sloppy early in the second half and Philly nearly made it a single-digit lead, but we outscored them 15-3 during a six minute stretch late, leading 70-47 with 1:45 to go in the third. And though we struggled offensively down the stretch, we held our ground defensively and won this one 88-77 despite a furious comeback attempt on the part of the Freedom.

Game Update: Everyone's talking about the November 5th meeting between the Milwaukee Moose and the New York Metros, which went through two high-scoring overtimes, resulting in a 142-134 win for New York! It was a surprisingly even-keeled win for the Metros, who were led by Jose Calderon's 35 points and 15 assists. Milwaukee led 42-28 after a quarter, but couldn't match that pace, letting New York back in with a slow, steady barrage (the Metros outscored Milwaukee 61-50 in the second half to force the two OTs).

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We have, starting with tonight, seven games in eleven days, which puts an end to the slow pace of our scheduling (two games in the first week of the season). We played smart basketball early, recovering from a 2-9 deficit to take the lead 15-14 on an Elton Brand hook shot with 4:57 to go in the first quarter! Both teams shot well and we were fighting hard to stay in it against a barrage from the Cranes, trailing 33-36 with 7:31 to play in the first half. Give our team credit for tenacity, as Kyle Korver nailed a triple with 4:12 to go, tying it 41-41! And he hit another stunning triple with 1:54 to play, giving us the lead 46-45! We held firm from there to lead 51-49 at the break, led by Korver's 10 points -- all arriving when things really counted.

The third quarter featured New Orleans flirting with double digit leads while our guys fought to keep the margin within a shot or two. We trailed 66-72 with 1:48 to go in the third, and with just six minutes remaining in the game we pulled within four, down 86-90, thanks to a Sefolosha triple. But we couldn't bridge the gap! We still trailed 97-101 with 2:20 to play, and they shut us down from there. Final score: New Orleans by seven, 100-107.

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My goal with this, btw, is to go "low and slow" to really get the ins and outs of the game. I am NOT an NBA junkie, so this is all new to me. If anyone wants to chime in and tell me things about bird rights and salary shenanigans, feel free.

JK, my guess is that you're most likely to get that feedback by checking/posting in the Wolverine forums. I'm pretty sure there have been posts about Bird rights there. There also have been tips re trading, etc.

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No worries, Chris, all you deteleted was some banter between me and PG. No big loss And now some games! And a big trade (at least in my opinion.)

- - - - -

November 10, 2014

Toronto Dinos (4-0) @ Atlanta Eagles (1-2)

The game stayed close early as we fought for a signature early-season victory, leading 18-17 against Toronto with four minutes to play in the first quarter. But though we built six point leads twice in the game, we never capitalized on that, allowing Toronto to roar back, the Dinos taking a 31-33 lead on us with 6:44 to go in the first half. We fought hard enough to retake the lead and go into the half up 47-45, but this game was very much still in play with 24 minutes to go.

We opened the second half on an 8-2 run, creating our largest lead of the game at 55-47 with 8:44 to go in the third quarter. And over the next three minutes we blew things up, expanding the lead to 15 while Al Horford put a few more notches into the best game of his season thus far! At the end of three we led 75-57 and had this one well in hand, readying ourselves for clean-up as we took our first key upset of the season! Even though Toronto would outscore us 40-27 in the final quarter, we'd win this one in the end 102-97.

No chance to rest on our win though, as we have five of our next six games on the road over the next week and a half. If we don't find a way to get wins on the road, we'll soon be in serious trouble. Time for our team to step up and prove we're worthy of notice!

Both teams came out fired up in this one, and though we held a ten point lead early, we went into the second quarter holding a much more tenuous 30-27 advantage over the 4-1 Twisters. Our offense inevitably cooled, and this became a pitched defensive battle, though after several minutes chasing their wind, we blew past the Twisters 47-46 on a Teague dunk with 2:14 to go in the half. We did trail, however, at the half by a 53-57 margin, that despite 17 points and four boards from Horford in the first half alone.

Through the third quarter it seemed all we could do to stay within two posessions, trailing 72-77 with 3:42 to go in the quarter. But Elton Brand nailed a deuce with 1:55 to go in the third, pulling us within three and for a moment it looked like we might hold things together. Then the bottom dropped out, Oklahoma City ran back to a ten point lead, and suddenly we had a quarter to play and no gas in the tank. They went on to crush us 99-114.

Trade News: We've made a deal with San Antonio, sending us Tim Duncan in exchange for Paul Milsaup. The Outlaws will also be sending us their first round pick in 2015. This doesn't change much for us initially except that now we have Duncan, a veteran, to provide real consistent offense AND defense alongside Horford. And we'll have an additional first-rounder next year to help fill out our roster of guards.

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We were sluggish out the gate, but quickly recovered our offensive mojo with a strong defensive performance, building a 23-14 lead on Chicago with 2:21 to go in the first! The Bison eventually battled back to tie it 44-44 with 2:14 to play in the half, and at the break we were only inches behind, down 51-52 at the buzzer.

DeMarre Carroll put us up 56-54 on a spectacular three just 90 seconds into the second half, and with a minute to go in the third quarter we held a sizeable 75-64 advantage over the Bison. We led by 15 with eight minutes remaining in the game, but our bench let them back in -- with 5:27 to go in the game they'd destroyed our lead, as we clung to an 88-84 advantage and put our starting core back in to preserve a road win. DeMarre Carroll quikly hit a two and made it a six point game, and Chicago never got closer. We won this one, our first on the road, 103-96!

Injury Report: Al Horford pulled his groin during the Chicago game and will be at less than 80% for at least two weeks. I am going to have to use him sparingly over that period of time.

November 15, 2014

Atlanta Eagles (3-3) @ Boston Irish (2-6)

Without Horford on the court most of the first quarter we suffered severely, falling behind 12-21 with 2:51 to play in the first. But Teague kept us in the game, fighting to rally the team together and make a game of this. And his three-pointer with 5:02 to go in the half tied it 36-36, sapping the wind out of Boston's fans' sails. It is astounding that we went into the half down just 45-47 considering how thinly our talent was spread.

Tim Duncan gave us a 56-55 lead with 7:35 to go in the third, and it was a game of leapfrog from there, with us knotted again 67-67 with 2:29 to go in the third. Threes were flying in the final quarter, and Boston began to pull away, ahead 82-89 with just under seven minutes to play and we were flagging fast. The game devolved quickly from there as we lost badly 91-110.

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Yeah my problem is I haven't followed the NBA much outside the Pacers in years. So Duncan's a player I know, and thought I'd take a risk. It may wind up being a bad decision lol ... he is 38, I may wind up killing him on the court, making him work too hard -- especailly with our center weakened the next couple weeks (he may play a lot more center during that time).

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We led by as many as eight early, but at the end of a quarter we trailed the Hoops 29-32 in what was setting up to be a blistering game. The second half got even more crazy offensively, as we both gunned for an equally necessary win. By halftime we trailed 59-62, and we really needed to find a way to shut down Brook Lopez, who had scored a third of the Hoops' points on the night.

That did not happen, however, and slowly the Hoops pulled away to a 10 point late third-quarter 87-77 lead. We trailed 93-110 with seven to play in the game, and all seemed over until an inspired comeback by our starting core! With 5:36 to go we'd fought back to within nine, down 101-110, and with just 2:11 to play we were within a single point, down 111-112! Ray Allen played hero of the night with a deuce with :05 to go, knotting the score at 118-118, and suddenly we had our first OVERTIME of the season!

Jarrett Jack nailed a triple with 3:16 to go in the overtime period, giving us a 125-122 lead, but Brooklyn answered back with a deuce to make it a one point game with 2:30 to play, and a free throw moments later on a ticky-tack foul gave them a share of the 125-125 tie with 1:57 left! DeMarre Carroll nailed a dunk on the fast break with 1:13 to go, putting us up 129-127, but that was our finest moment. The Hoops got all the calls down the stretch and won this one on free-throws in front of their home-team crowd, taking the OT win 129-133.

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Short wait for the heated rematch! We were sloppy early, letting the Hoops out to a 2-9 lead to start the game, but with 2:46 to go in the first quarter we took a 20-18 lead as Ray Allen buried a well-placed jumper. We then went on a 14-0 run in the next 166 seconds to end the first quarter with a 34-18 advantage! By halftime we led what was a 56-32 blowout, with Tim Duncan (8 pts 9 reb 2 ast) already on the verge of a double-double! We remained dominant through the remainder, winning this one with ease 121-73!

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First off, an announcement: we've decided based on his play this year to pick up DeMarre Carroll's rookie option, giving him a third year in 2015-16 at $2,675,000! We maintain the right to sign him to a fourth year next year, and are hopeful that we'll be able to keep his talent in Atlanta for years to come!

We've also decided to release Mike Muscala at a two year cost of $1.7 million, and we've signed Andre Blatche to a one year deal out of free agency at a cost of $1.3 million. We needed a center who could fill in while Horford remains injured, and then handle extra minutes off the bench in the interim. Muscala was not ready for the big time, and it wasn't worth keeping him holding a roster spot.

For the next few games, Horford (who has struggled to maintain starting minutes with the groin injury, even when shuffled liberally with backups) will move to the bench, while we'll test Blatche with starting minutes.

November 21, 2014

Atlanta Eagles (4-5) @ Indiana Racers (7-2)

Indiana is among the top teams in the conference this year, and we're in for a real road fight tonight. We led briefly 8-6 early on, but it was all Racers the rest of the way early, trailing 21-26 at the end of the first quarter. And by the time we reached the end of the first half we were in a hole 37-49.

We worked a near-miracle by fighting to within five early in the third, but Indiana is way too deep for us on just about any level. We slumped late, trailing 47-60 with 4:48 to go in the third, yet we did not quit -- with a stunning three by DeMarre Carroll we pulled within three, down 70-73, with 10:58 to go in the fourth. Kyle Korver then knotted it 73-73 on a trey of his own, and suddenly this was a winnable game no one ever thought we'd still be in! Carroll gave us a 75-73 lead on a fast-break dunk, and with 6:30 to go we trailed 77-79. We fought all the way to the bitter end, but came up inches short, losing 90-92 in a game which proves we're here to fight in any game, any night, any court. F--- the naysayers.

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We're in fourth in the division, half a game out of last place, and we get the chance to host the top team in the Division for an early-season challenge. This is the kind of game you have to win early in the year if you want to build momentum. We've won all our home games thus far, but our losing record has fans on the fence about spending money to see us live when they can watch from home. We need to play well and encourage them that's not the way.

Especially with five of our next nine games here at home.

It is KILLING us not to have Horford ready and able, and Washington controled the pace and tenor of this game from the start, leading 11-18 with 2:46 to go in the first quarter. We never got control of things the remainder of the half, going into the break trailing 38-49.

We trailed by 16 early in the third quarter, but with 5:07 remaining in that period we pulled within eight thanks to a three by Korver, down 52-60. We inched our way back in, and with 10:36 to play in the game we took a 67-66 lead on a Ray Allen three! But we could not maintain the momentum, as Washington rallied to go up 71-81 with just seven minutes remaining. By that point, with Horford struggling to stay on the floor for even a few minutes, we just didn't have any good options for high-powered scoring. We fought hard, keeping the loss within single digits but losing nonetheless 88-97.

Made another big trade, to get former Indiana player Cody Zeller from Charlotte, in exchange for Pero Antic and our first round pick for next year (we still have the first rounder from San Antonio). Zeller will get immediate starting minutes, and should be able to fit in the lineup as a big contributor. Antic was never going anywhere with us, and we need young guys who can score and defend. Anyone who has seen him play in the past knows his explosive athleticism. And though he's yet to show it in the pros, I think he's capable of being just as good in the NBA as he was in college. He just needs the right push.

New lineup:

PG - Jeff Teague (6'2” 180 lbs) 3.0/3.0

SG - Kyle Korver (6'7” 212 lbs) 2.5/2.5

SF - DeMarre Carroll (6'8” 225 lbs) 2.5/2.5

PF - Tim Duncan (6'11” 260 lbs) 4.0/4.0

C - Al Horford (6'10” 245 lbs) 4.5/4.5

6 - Cody Zeller (7'0” 230 lbs) 2.5/2.5

7 - Jarrett Jack (6'3” 197 lbs) 2.0/2.0

8 - Ray Allen (6'5” 205 lbs) 2.0/2.0

9 - Thabo Sefolosha (6'7” 215 lbs) 2.0/2.0

10 - Elton Brand (6'9” 254 lbs) 1.5/1.5

11 - Shelvin Mack (6'2” 205 lbs) 1.5/1.5

12 - Kent Bazemore (6'5” 195 lbs) 1.5/2.0

13 - Mike Muscala (6'11” 230 lbs) 1.5/1.5

14 - Adreian Payne (6'10” 245 lbs) 1.0/1.5

15 - John Jenkins (6'4” 212 lbs) 1.0/1.0

Zeller will start at center in place of Horford until he is ready for full-time minutes again, at which point he should perform well as a solid swing-man at PF / C from the sixth spot.

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There was a lot of back-and-forth early, but we built a solid 37-27 lead with 9:14 to go in the half, and by the time we did reach the break we held a 63-51 advantage on the struggling Wasps. Charlotte kept it close in the second half, but we maintained our lead, heading into the fourth quarter with an 88-79 advantage. And though it wasn't always pretty, we held tough to win this one 116-108!